As if the West did not have troubles enough of its own, we are reminded of the threats to its existence by Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
The violations being inflicted upon the people of Ukraine are widely acknowledged and roundly condemned. Perhaps less well-known has been the huge rise in military expenditure undertaken by Putin’s government as it seeks to carry this conflict through to its logical conclusion.
Regrettably, the response from the West has been abject. In simple terms, the Putin government is spending 20 times more as a proportion of GDP on its military than the UK. And the UK has been one of the mainstays of the NATO alliance.
We are as ever grateful to Brexit Facts4EU.Org for bringing these matters to our attention.
What follows are excerpts from a speech by a UK representative to the UN Security Council in New York on Putin’s actions in Ukraine. The full report can be found in the link beneath it.
“Putin is creating a Russia that is geared for constant war,” says Sunak govt in NYC
BREXIT FACTS4EU.ORG SUMMARY
UK Statement to the UN Security Council in New York
Below we present excerpts from the speech of the UK representative, which can be read in full here.
“President, Russia’s attempts to obfuscate and distract from reality are not only a waste of this Council’s time, but they are also ineffective. No amount of linguistic gymnastics from our Russian counterparts can change the facts.
The truth regarding Russia’s aggression is clear. For more than two years now, Russia has been engaged in a neo-imperial war of aggression in flagrant violation of the UN Charter.
President Putin is creating a Russia, and Russian economy, that is geared for constant war with 40% of the country’s federal budget dedicated to military and security spending alone.
It is clear that President Putin has no intention of peace any time soon and indeed, it begs the question of his plans beyond Ukraine too.
President, in conducting its war of aggression, Russia has relentlessly targeted Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, including through double-tap strikes targeting first responders. Just last night, Russia attempted to carry out a massive missile attack on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure. Russia has kidnapped Ukrainian children. It has deployed UAVs from Iran, and ballistic missiles from North Korea in violation of this Council’s resolutions and has press-ganged foreign nationals to fight its war from Ghana, from India, from Nepal.
President, as the UN reported this week, in the areas of Ukraine that Russia temporarily occupies, it has attempted to consolidate control through a ‘climate of fear’, by using execution, torture, sexual violence, arbitrary detention, censorship, surveillance, political oppression and movement restrictions – all of this is a stark contrast to the image of happy citizens expressing their democratic rights that the Russian Ambassador attempted to paint in this Council last week.
President, the cost to Russia and the Russian people of President Putin’s neo-imperial vanity have also been profound:
The Russian economy has lost $400 billion through sanctions and hundreds of thousands of young Russians have left for opportunities abroad. For those who have stayed, free speech has been silenced. More than 20,000 have been imprisoned for opposing Putin’s war.
Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has been decimated and nearly 3,000 tanks and 105 fixed wing aircraft have been destroyed. The Russian military has suffered more than 350,000 casualties. Of course, you won’t hear about this on Russian television, but it is all too real for the more than a million Russian mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers touched by the tragedy of President Putin’s hubris.
And all this for a war that Russia cannot win.
Russia cannot win because through their courage and ingenuity Ukrainians have shown they will not be subjugated. Russian cannot win because the international community will not abandon Ukraine. We do not have cold feet. We will continue to provide Ukraine with the weapons it needs to defend its territory from Russian aggression. And President, finally, Russia cannot win because it is vital that imperialism and colonial ideology are consigned to the past.
So, we once again call on the Russian Federation to stop wasting this Council’s time, to end its war of aggression and to uphold the UN Charter.”
– Statement by UK Deputy Political Coordinator Thomas Phipps at the UN Security Council 22 Mar 2024
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The article can be read in full here.
We are grateful to Brexit Facts4EU.Org for their permission to republish this article.
Main image: Montage © Facts4EU.Org 2024
